Appearing in the Moonlight
by Mimori Kiryu
Summary: Kyoji Mujou has found two alter users in the Lost Ground which greatly interest him. When HOLY begins the Great Native Alter Hunt, those two alter users, Kisa Kaiba and Aya Valentine are in for the ride of their life. AU/Crossover/OCs


_A/N: This is a crossover story with OCs that will interact and have friendships/relationships with canon characters. These OCs will change the canon characters perspectives and these canon characters will care about these OCs. However, my OCs have been worked on for over ten years. They are solid characters with faults, emotions, they make mistakes and will probably start to grow on you. Please give my OCs a chance. _

_Also, this is a crossover of about...five or six different anime. s-CRY-ed is the world it takes place in. Yu-Gi-Oh is intermixed in as if Gozaburo Kaiba's estate was located in the Kanagawa Prefecture. Other anime that will eventually make a difference are Yu Yu Hakusho and Inuyasha. Random other anime will possibly pop-up, maybe even solo characters. _

_However, either way, please enjoy a story 10 years in the making. I really appreciate it. :)_

**Disclaimer:** **s-CRY-ed © Yosuke Kuroda, Yu-Gi-Oh © Kazuki Takahashi, Vincent Valentine © Tetsuya Nomura/Square-Enix**

= s-CRY-ed =

Appearing in the Moonlight

By: Mimori Kiryu

= s-CRY-ed =

In the world where things are always changing, we begin in the inconstant lying area of Japan. This land only twenty two years before had been ravaged by an earthquake of unmatched proportions. This earthquake had thrown the Kanagawa Prefecture into the air, creating a new isle once the land had settled back in the ocean. People who lived on this Lost Ground, as it was labeled, started to show the ability to use mental like powers, later labeled alter power. It is the strength to transform matter into another form using mental effort. Alter users began to abuse their powers and advisers on the mainland called for HOLD, a police force, to control them. They failed many times until they created a force inside HOLD called HOLY, made up entirely of alter users. The mainland assumed that only trained and disciplined alter users could deal with the rogue alters. As the new dictator on the Lost Ground started to gain power, HOLY starts their first search of alter users.

= s-CRY-ed =

"Come on, Kisa, you have to keep running! Let's go!" a young boy called, pulling on his sister's arm. His brown hair flew crazy in the wind, along with his black jacket. The boy's blue eyes scanned the semi-desert area, looking for a place to hide – anywhere would've been good enough for him at this point. "Kisa, is Mokuba doing okay?" He questioned as he pulled them into a collapsed building which was still sturdy enough to provide shelter. He turned to Kisa seeing her clutching her little brother that was asleep soundly in her arms.

"He's alright." Kisa replied. She brushed Mokuba's black hair out of his face. She looked up to her older brother, worry filling her brown eyes. "Seto, what are we going to do? HOLY is chasing us." She shuddered, looking down at her baby brother.

"I'm not sure." Seto's face softened. Taking off his jacket, he placed it on her shoulders. She must've been cold with just her simple black t-shirt and jean shorts. Kisa nodded as a thank you. Seto stood and walked toward the entrance of the fallen building, looking out over the destroyed city's landscape. If only his stupid step-father, Kisa's father, hadn't told the mainland about Kisa and Mokuba's developing alter power. They wouldn't have been in the middle of the Lost Ground, running for their lives.

Kisa watched her older brother and her mind raced about what might happen if HOLY did find them. She wouldn't let anything happen to Mokuba and the only way to protect him was to turn herself in. Kisa had been thinking about it for a while; she would do anything to protect the ones that meant the most to her. Seto walked back over to her. He started talking but the girl had to strain to hear his voice.

"I see one of the tanks coming this way. If we're quiet, they won't find us here." He told her, sitting down. He took Mokuba, holding his sleeping younger brother. Kisa stood up and walked over to the exit. Seto snapped at her, "What are you doing? They're going to see you!"

"I know. That's why I'm going. I am not going to let Mokuba be taken by them. This assures that he'll be safe…" Kisa turned to Seto, smiling as she brushed her brown hair out of her face. "Take care, Seto. When you get a chance, please get away. I'll try my best to distract them." Kisa turned away and didn't look back, even when Seto started to yell at her. Nothing was going to change her mind about what she was going to do.

She took in a deep breath, probably the last one she would take, and stepped over the broken concrete wall in front of her. She sat down on the top edge, in plain sight of the tanks coming toward her. From here, they would only notice her and not the place where Seto and Mokuba were hiding. Her heart was in her throat; she had heard so many stories about what happened to HOLY captives. The tanks pulled up in front of her and a light shined from the top of the first. Kisa couldn't say she wasn't scared, but she was determined to protect her only family.

A person jumped off from the tank behind the spotlight. He walked toward Kisa and when he entered the light, she could see him clearly. He was dressed in a formal uniform that buttoned up to his collar, which then it buttoned across his chest to his left shoulder. Blue shoulder pads had been sewn on top of his shoulders and the rest of his jacket was structured to his body. Simple black slacks flowed down his legs and dress shoes, clean and spotless, covered his feet. Kisa felt a growl start in the back of her throat. He was so perfect in every way and Kisa knew he felt like he was better than her. She was about to attack him but then he turned his glance from the ground to her eyes.

Kisa suddenly felt a shudder run through her whole body. His red piercing eyes seemed to fill her with unexplainable terror. This was probably how he had captured many other alter users in the Lost Ground. He brushed his green hair out of his face and glared at Kisa with no remorse.

"Are you surrendering?" He questioned. His eyes were looking her up and down and his breathing was normal. Even though he was flowing with confidence, his voice revealed he was young, probably not much older than she.

"Yes sir. I will go wherever you want me to." Kisa said firmly. She glanced out the corner of her eye behind herself. The girl saw Seto running away with Mokuba safely in his arms. Inside her mind, Kisa breathed a sigh of relief. At least her only family would be safe from any harm.

"Fine. Cougar." He turned around. He appeared to be talking to someone. Kisa blinked and was surprised to see a pink car behind the HOLY officer.

_That wasn't there a second ago…what the hell?_ Kisa thought.

Suddenly, the officer grabbed her arm and threw her toward the car. "Cougar, take her and return to HOLY. AL0520 has been captured. Make sure she gets the treatment when she gets there."

The passenger side door opened and Kisa fell into the seat. She rubbed her thigh which had run into a random part of the car. "Oww…"

"You might want to buckle up there, sweetheart." The man in the driver's seat said. Kisa figured he was Cougar. "If I don't get back to HOLY fast enough, Ryuhou will skin me alive." He grinned and pushed pink sunglasses over his eyes.

Kisa sat up as Cougar pulled away, faster than Kisa could comprehend. She buckled herself as quick as she could while looking toward the city limits – where HOLY was located. _I'm sure Ryuhou meant the psychological treatment. Those torture chambers I've heard so much about._ Kisa shuttered at the thought. Even though Kisa was scared as hell, she knew not to talk to him. Her father had taught her never to give in to an enemy's taunts, no matter how promising their words sounded.

She glanced out the window again. The lights were coming closer and closer to her with every second. Her jaw clenched at the site of the HOLY headquarters. It was a place of hell for all alter user criminals; they were punished for crimes that no one could prove they actually did. Kisa's stomach churned at the very possibility of her having to go through all of the torture.

"Oh, don't worry." Cougar's soft, mellow voice floated into her ears. She didn't turn to look at him. "I know you're probably thinking about the experiments the criminals go through. It's definitely not as bad as you've probably heard." Cougar smiled, but it faded when he realized Kisa didn't seem to care. "By the way, I only know you as AL0520. Could you tell me your real name?"

Kisa still didn't move. He wasn't worth it and besides, she couldn't make any relationships here. Even though she was being captured by HOLY, she would one day make her escape. It wasn't worth her time. Making a friend, that is. Cougar sighed and turned back to the windshield. It appeared the rumors of AL0520 were true. She depended on no one for her survival. Although, if she really was as dangerous as everyone had been told, why had she come with them so easily after running for so long?

= s-CRY-ed =

"Aya, I'm begging you to eat something. You need to eat." A teenage male said. He had long black hair and startling red eyes. A cape was wrapped around his neck and laid along his shoulders, cascading down his back. "I realize that you're unhappy, but you can't stop eating."

His younger sister sat at the table, playing with the food on her plate. It was obvious she didn't plan on eating any of it. Just a couple of weeks before, Vincent and Aya's mother passed away. Vincent had disappeared for a couple of weeks but had returned soon after, taking his place back as Aya's protector and big brother. The funeral had been short and sweet; their mother had been laid to rest in the backyard under her favorite tree. Aya still went out to her mother's resting place everyday. It was the only thing that kept her sane after losing her mom.

"I'm sorry, brother." Aya said, looking up at him. Vincent's mother wasn't really Aya's mother, just as Aya and Vincent were not blood siblings but the loss of the only mother she had ever known ripped Aya's heart in two. She didn't know how Vincent was already okay. It had only been three weeks.

Vincent sighed, nodding at his sister. She left her seat, toward the bedrooms. "Hey, wash up and come back to help me with the dishes!" He called to her. She nodded before she disappeared out of sight. He sighed again, standing from his seat. The boy started the water at the sink, filling up the metal bowl slowly. He poured soap into the bin and watched the bubbles begin to form. "I don't know what I'm going to do with her. Mother, what would you have me do…?" Vincent brought his hands up to his neck, unsnapping the cape from around his neck. He tossed it onto a chair and turned back to the small pile of dishes on the counter. "Should I send her somewhere else so she doesn't get involved? Or should I let her stay with me?" Behind him, he heard soft footsteps come to a stop. He turned to see Aya looking at him with a melancholy expression.

"What are you talking about, brother? Sending me away? Where?" Her eyes looked at him, filling with tears. Vincent realized that he should've kept his mouth shut while in the house.

"No, no. Aya, I'm sorry. There's just something I've needed to talk to you about and it's very important. I'm trying to think about whether to involve you or not." Vincent explained. "Want to talk about it as we wash the dishes?"

Aya nodded, pulling a chair to the sink so she could reach. She climbed up and looked up to Vincent. "What's going on that you have to ask mom for permission?"

"Well, you know about that bad man from the mainland, Aya? The one that I've told you about before?" Vincent asked.

"Yeah, the man named Mujou? Is he coming here?" Aya asked, almost afraid to ask. Vincent had disappeared for nearly three weeks after their mother's death. Maybe this was the reason why?

"Sort of. He's coming to assess the Lost Ground and the job that HOLY's doing. He seems to be displeased with their current achievements." Vincent explained. He saw Aya's puzzled face and continued. "What I mean is that they aren't accomplishing what he wants so he's coming to fix it. My sources tell me that he's not coming for another two years but I'm getting a group together now."

"…you want to fight him?" Aya guessed and Vincent nodded.

"My group is made up of alter users and non-alter users. We're just a group that wants freedom from the mainland and HOLY. As much as I know you could probably help, you're only going to be fifteen years old. I rather not get you involved." Vincent shook his head.

"I want to help." Aya replied instantly. Vincent looked to her. "This is our home, not his. He can't take it from us and I won't let him!" She slammed her hands onto the sink's edge. "I want to fight with you, brother. I wanna help."

"If that's what you want, I won't stop you." He replied, rinsing off his hands now that the dishes were done. Vincent dried his hands off and walked briskly to the front door, grabbing his cape as he went. "I have to go discuss more with my group. You know the drill with HOLY, right?"

"I'll stay inside and only answer the door after they knock. Then I'll tell them I'm with you." Aya recited from memory. "If they don't leave, I'll show them your badge from the city which is in the top drawer of your desk."

Vincent nodded. "Good girl. I'll be back." He shut the front door with a small slam. Aya dried her own hands off and jumped from the chair. She returned it to the table and sat down in it.

She had to train her alter power. She had to get stronger, weighing down the group wasn't an option – she promised Vincent she would be able to help and that's what she was going to do. Aya stood up from the table and ran quickly to her room, grabbing a rolled up blanket. Returning to the kitchen, she grabbed a rope from under the sink and headed out into the back yard. Being as careful as she could she tied the blanket to a small broken pole sticking out of the ground.

"There, a perfect dummy to train with." Aya wiped her brow. "Let's try…this!" She turned her body around quickly, launching a roundhouse kick to the dummy's top. Unable to keep her balance, Aya fell flat onto her face. "Damn it," she cursed, standing back up. She wiped the dirt off of her face and looked back at the dummy. "Vincent's right, it's a lot different than scrimmaging with a person." Taking a deep breath, Aya continued her assault on the dummy, practicing all the moves that Vincent had taught her.

= s-CRY-ed =

"Stay in there and don't move. The captain will be with you shortly." said a gruff man as Kisa landed on the hard concrete of a cell. She coughed with nothing coming out, not even air.

She had never felt such pain in her life. The tank, as it was called by the HOLY officers, was something she never wanted to feel again. Her whole body felt as if had been crushed by the bars of her container and the force of the spin felt like it had literally split her brain in two. Kisa couldn't move any part of her body. It's not like she could've even if she wanted to. Her arms were locked behind her back and chains kept her ankles attached with only a little distance so she could keep herself upright without falling. She opened her eyes to only see a black room. Her eyes started to adjust and she saw a bed in the corner. Kisa, with all of her might, began to crawl across the room pulling her body with her chin. She had to make it to that mattress. Anything would be more comfortable than the cold, cement floor. Luckily the bed was low lying and she was able to pull herself on. Kisa rolled over onto her back and felt extremely better with the soft mattress under her.

"Seto…Mokuba…I hope you both are safe, wherever you are." Kisa replied. She felt tears rolling down her face but she ignored them. "This pain is worth it as long as you two are safe from our father and the mainland…" Her body shuddered from the pain and she had to roll to her side.

As much as she hated to admit weakness, this was almost more than her thirteen

year old body could take. According to some of the officers she overheard talking, she was a third degree criminal. She had glanced at a nearby chart and saw that meant she had to have almost 15 sessions in the tank. Kisa flinched at the thought of the spinning room and closed her eyes. She couldn't take another session, much less thirteen more after that. Suddenly the room got brighter and Kisa noticed the door had been opened. She wiped her eyes with her shoulders and sat up ever so slowly.

"AL0520." said a voice at the door.

"What?" Kisa spat. She was annoyed at people calling her that. She wasn't a number; she was a human with a name. "Are you here to tell me how worthless I am too? Because if you are, I've already heard all types of scum that I am."

"No. You have another session in the tank. You have to come with me." He walked over to her and grabbed her arm, dragging her to her feet and out into the hallway. "First is an interview with our captain so you better be ready and behave."

Kisa scoffed. "Oh yes sir."

The man growled at her and threw her into the wall. He proceeded to slap her across the face. "Don't tempt me, AL0520. I will kill you myself if you push me too far. Stop acting like you're someone important."

"Why don't you look into the mirror? I think you're the one who's doing that." Kisa commented.

The officer's face turned bright red with frustration and pulled back his hand, forming a fist. Kisa knew she could probably dodge so she prepared herself to move when another hand grabbed the officer's wrist.

"I think you need to calm down, my good sir. Criminal or not, AL0520 is still a woman. I would think it would be of your nature to be kind." Kisa turned to the owner of the hand and saw it to be Cougar. The orange haired man winked at her and pushed the officer away from her. "Please go attend to other duties. I believe Tachibana needs a hand in the delivery area."

The officer glared at Kisa again before walking away. Cougar looked to Kisa and smiled.

"Thanks, I guess. It wasn't as if he could've hurt me anyway." Kisa said.

"Maybe so, but that's no reason for him to threaten to hit you. Where did he say he was taking you again?" Cougar asked.

"Apparently I have another session in that tank today and your captain has an interview with me." Kisa explained. "Just tell me where to go; I don't really care."

Cougar's eyes softened. This girl had a pretty thick shell she didn't let anyone through. "The interrogation room is this way. If you'll follow me." Cougar turned down the next hall and Kisa walked small steps behind him. As much as she hated HOLY, she rather have been around Cougar than anyone else. He seemed saner than the rest of them there and he respected her for a person rather than a piece of equipment. They stopped short of a door and Cougar slid his ID card through the slot to gain entrance. "Go on in, I'm not allowed in this part of the building. You know how it goes."

Kisa walked into the dark area and stopped short of what looked like a desk atop of a hill. Suddenly, large hands came out of nowhere, grabbing her body to keep her still.

"What? What are these things?" Kisa struggled to get free but was unable. Looking through the darkness she could see people holding out their own hands toward her. _It must be their alter power. How do they all have the same one?_ Kisa turned to the desk at the top of the hill as someone walked out. Her whole body shuddered when the person made eye contact with her. "It's that guy from before…" she murmured. _I think Ryuhou is his name; I remember Cougar calling him that in the car._

The green haired man from the Lost Ground stared into her. "You might as well stop struggling because it's not going to work. They are perfect that their job." He jumped from the hill down to in front of her. "AL0520, just how did you elude us for so long?"

"How would I know? I've been living with my brothers." Kisa said, looking at him. She tried to study his face but nothing was being given away. It was as if he had no emotion.

"For a third degree criminal, you're pretty young. Just what did you do?" he asked, walking around her in the view she could move.

"I told you that I don't know." Kisa repeated. "I've lived with my brothers for all of my life. I've never broken any laws or anything. All I know is that I have this power that makes me a wanted criminal." She tried to adjust herself, but the hands wouldn't let her move.

"I see. I assume people see you as an outcast, don't they? Completely different from them in every way imaginable." Ryuhou said. "They must've blamed you for something someone else did. Since you've been with your siblings and all."

Kisa felt a growl in the back of her throat. He was starting to piss her off; Ryuhou was trying to make her confess to a crime she didn't commit. She felt her alter power nipping at her mind, begging to be used. She could easily escape from this hold if she had wanted to, but she stayed still. It might be worth hearing what he had to say.

"So, have you heard of any rumors in the Lost Ground? About that invincible alter?" Ryuhou questioned. "The one with the black right arm and the white left one?"

Kisa rolled her eyes. "Uh, no. I don't hang out with people who are weird like that. Besides, other than me, I don't know anyone else with an alter power." She sighed. "Why are you asking me this stuff? I don't know about anything you're talking about."

"Standard procedures." Ryuhou said simply.

Kisa sighed. "I'm sure they are. How about getting these hands off of me so we can just talk? It's kinda weird me standing here like this and you all proper like that."

"It's okay. You can stay that way. I prefer my criminals held tightly." Ryuhou commented.

"Well, I don't like this so I think I'll get out!" Kisa's body glowed and she used the hands to deform and create one giant hand to lift her straight into the air. Ryuhou turned to look at her. His glare was tight again and she knew she had hit a cord. He liked to control a situation and if he didn't, he got angry. Kisa lowered the hand toward him. "See I prefer to talk like this. Face to face, person to person. Police to criminal seems too professional."

Ryuhou only stared at her. "How did you do that?"

Kisa raised an eyebrow. "Do what? This is my alter power. I'm sure you know what _that_ is…"

"That's not what I meant, AL0520. I have records that tell me your alter ability has to do with manipulating the weather." Ryuhou replied. "It seems I will have to test this alter myself to see if this is your true one." He closed his eyes and held out his hand toward her. The floor was partly deformed into an alter in front of him. It resembled a human, but with no arms. It had two purple antennae that stuck out from its sides to use as arms. Kisa looked closer into Ryuhou's eyes and she could see his alter even better. "You better be prepared to fight, AL0520." She was nervous; he was fast at creating his alter power, even faster than her.

Kisa smirked, lowering herself to the ground, not letting him see her sweat. She dissipated the hand and stood in front of him. "I can't really do much with my hands behind my back and my ankles connected." Ryuhou moved his head slightly and before she could see, his alter power had sliced both sets of restrains off. "Yeah, thanks. Now, I'm going to borrow something from you. Your alter really isn't anything all that amazing." She closed her eyes and formed a different alter and this one startled Ryuhou almost off of his feet. Within an instant, he was staring at a copy of his own alter.

"How are you doing this?" Ryuhou growled. "First you mimic the guard's restraints, and now you're copying Zetsuei. Tell me how this is possible!"

Kisa laughed. "You just said it yourself, Mr. Captain. This is my alter power. I call it Ichibu. I look into your eyes and copy your alter power as if it were my own. A nice alter power to have, isn't it?" Her version of Zetsuei was very similar to Ryuhou's but still different. The coloring was slightly misrepresented, but it almost looked like a reflection in a mirror. "And it's not only this. I can look at a photo and do the same thing." She smirked. "Still want to fight me now that I know all of the abilities of your power and can duplicate them just as fast as you think it?"

Ryuhou gritted his teeth. "Fine. I won't test you here."

Kisa became puzzled. "What?"

"Take your session in the tank. Cougar will take you there. After that, you will come see me in the training room. I want to know more about your power." Ryuhou explained, returning to the desk at the top of the hill. "You might not want to put up so much of a fight from now on. I know a lot of scientists who would love to get their hands on you. And trust me; they care much less about your life than anyone in this building."

Kisa felt her heart in her throat and mentally forced it back down. She had basically just shoved herself into a corner. As she walked back toward where Cougar waited, she realized that she couldn't stay here like this. Being sent to the mainland wasn't her purpose; there was much more to her life than that. She had to think of something, and fast.

= s-CRY-ed =

Aya lay on her bed, looking up at the ceiling above. Four hours of solid training had exhausted her and Vincent still hadn't returned from the meeting with his group. She felt her stomach growl; she was starving. Vincent was the only one who knew how to make good food, and if she wanted any, she would have to wait until he got back. She didn't know if her body would let her wait that long. Aya sat up realizing something.

"I could go get food on my own. The town's right there and I'm sure Ms. Ota's shop is just as you enter the village…" Aya said to herself as she looked at her mental map. "I could get a bowl of ramen on Vincent's tab and be home before he even gets back." The girl sat up from her bed and pulled on her shoes. She grabbed the weekly allowance money that Vincent gave her, just in case and headed out the front door toward the village.

She kept looking behind her every once in a while, making sure she was alone. Aya hadn't walked outside by herself in a very long time. Vincent was always a few steps behind her. Not having him there made her nervous. She hadn't let the house in nearly a month – being scared seemed childish. After a few minutes the village was in sight and Aya began to sprint towards it. She arrived with her heart beating a mile a minute. If she had been able to control her alter power, she might not have been so scared.

"Aya, honey? I'm surprised to see you here without Vincent." said an older woman's voice. Aya turned to see Ms. Ota cleaning off her bench in her ramen shop. Aya smiled at her and ran over. "Are you looking for him?" she asked as Aya took a seat.

"No, ma'am. He's out with some friends, but I was hungry. I couldn't wait for him to come home so I went ahead and came out to get food." Aya explained. "Could I have a Beef Ramen please?"

Ms. Ota smiled and nodded. "Of course, my dear. Hold just a minute while I start warming the beef on the grill." She went to the back and Aya leaned on the bar, playing with her chopsticks she picked out from the cup.

Aya hoped that Vincent wouldn't make it home before she did. She would probably get in trouble because she didn't ask him for permission to go out. Vincent always said that it was too dangerous but Aya knew better. She knew she could defend herself if she had to. Turning around, Aya noticed that the street was getting busier. There were a lot more people than when she got there. It did make her nervous with so many people because she didn't know who to trust and who she couldn't. But she kept her cool until she realized the street was full of shady people. Her sixth sense told her of some shady inhabitants of the area. She could feel their alter power pulsing around her. Suddenly a crash was heard from behind the store made Aya jump almost out of her skin. She almost literally flew over the bar and into the back.

Ms. Ota was lying on the ground, injured. Aya ran over toward her and helped her sit up straight. "Ms. Ota, are you okay? What happened?"

The older woman looked up to Aya. "Oh, honey, they stole my safe. They stole all of my money…" She looked down with her eyes filled with tears. "How am I going to keep my shop…what about all my life savings…?" Aya clutched her fist tightly and helped Ms. Ota back into the shop.

"Ms. Ota, where did the burglars go?" Aya questioned her.

"They took off for those old buildings on the other side of town. Aya, you shouldn't go there. It could be dangerous!" Ms. Ota replied, holding onto Aya's shirt sleeve. "Vincent wouldn't want you to go there."

Aya smiled and held Ms. Ota's hand. "It'll be okay. You need that money and it wasn't fair for them to steal it. I'll get it back for you." Before the elderly woman could say anything, Aya was out the back door, running as fast as her legs could carry her.

The young alter user could feel the presence of the men who had stolen from Ms. Ota. They weren't that far away. Aya slowed down just outside the broken down building. She stopped just near the window and glanced inside. She saw the small safe sitting in the center of the first floor. Aya rolled her eyes. These burglars knew she would come to get the money. She must've been their actual target. Aya thought deeply and her alter power came to form. The girl knew she had only twenty minutes to find these men and hurt them for threatening Ms. Ota.

Aya felt her body changing. Her fingernails grew longer and her hair changed to a complete pure white color. Her teeth sharpened and Aya felt her body being forced to stand and walk on four legs. Her alter power, Inuyokai, had been activated. Aya started to prowl around the back of the building until she heard talking.

"Only 50,000 yen! How OUTRAGEOUS!" said a deep voice. Aya peeked around the corner and saw a man wearing a long cape that hid all of his other clothing. His black hair was scraggly and he had a beard and mustache. "We should've just taken her whole shop! It's not like she needs any of the money anyway, old hag."

Aya felt a growl in the back of her throat. _How dare they talk about Ms. Ota like that…?_ She wasn't just any person; she helped all of the nearby village people by giving them a place to eat even without any money. Aya saw two other people around the big man and her mind knew she had only fifteen minutes left. She dashed around the corner only to hear the three men react to her parents. She jumped on one of the men and began to scratch his face fiercely. Blood covered her nails and her face until she was knocked off by the other henchman's alter power. It was a huge animal shaped alter, almost like a fused leopard and lynx. It growled at her and the man commanded him to attack her. Aya jumped up and grabbed a beam above her head. She launched herself at the chimera like creature and knocked it into the wall. The lead man she had seen before stepped in front of his defeated underling and sneered at the young half dog girl.

"What a curious alter power you have. It seems I was on the money trying to get you to come here. I bet I can sell you for a fortune to the mainland." The man said slyly, walking closer. He pulled out a gun from his jacket and Aya stepped back from him.

She knew she couldn't reflect a bullet, even if she was using her alter power. It wasn't meant to be used as a shield. Aya checked her mental clock. Time was ticking; she only had five minutes of her alter power left before it left her completely defenseless. Aya readied herself and launched at him. He shot twice and Aya was able to spin in midair, flipping over in the process. She kicked at his chin but he suddenly put his other hand in front of his face and caught her.

"Hn, just like I thought. Your alter only makes you look powerful when you're actually just a puny brat!" the man growled, throwing her into a nearby pile of boxes.

Aya collapsed onto the floor in a heap, coughing from the impact. The girl looked up to the strange man and watched as her clock ran out. Slowly her hands became normal again and she felt all of her wounds more strongly than she had before.

"Hahahaha! It seems your alter power has finally run out. Good. Now I'll shoot your legs so you can't run away and then I'll haul you off to the mainland to sell your body." The man cackled with laughter until suddenly he stopped. Aya lifted her head to see a red cape surrounding the man. "W-w-what's going on?"

A gun was pointed to the man's chin. He stepped back and looked to his left. Vincent stood there with an irate look on his face. "Just what did you say you were going to do to my little sister?" Vincent asked politely.

The man stumbled over his words and sweat started falling down his face. "You're…you're the Red Flash. Anyone who sees you…" the man trailed off and Vincent smirked behind his gun.

"It seems both Cerberus and I proceed ourselves." He commented, looking toward his gun. "But it's too bad there won't be another time." Vincent showed no remorse as he shot the man through his neck and promptly hit the dead body toward the wall. The young man turned toward Aya and made his way to her through the rubble of the building.

"Brother…" Aya said, standing up. "…what are you doing here?"

Vincent sighed. "I couldn't find you and Ms. Ota said you came here to get back her money. She told me to come find you because she was worried." He put his hand on her arm and picked her up gently, putting the girl on his back. "What you did was dangerous, Aya. Why did you leave the house in the first place?"

Aya looked down into Vincent's cape. "Well, I was hungry and I wanted to get some food…" As if on cue, Aya's stomach rumbled and she closed her eyes, embarrassed.

"I am proud of you, Aya. You did well with your alter. I was impressed by your speed." Vincent commented as he carried his sister out of the building and back toward the village. "Your training seems to have paid off."

Aya blushed. "Thank you, brother."

Vincent sighed with a slight smirk on his face as they arrived back to Ms. Ota's shop. The elderly woman came out to them, glad to see them both safe and unharmed.

= s-CRY-ed =

Across the sea in the mainland, a powerful man sits in his office. He rewinds the video on his laptop. On the screen is film of Aya's alter power in action, fighting against the two henchmen. The man smiles to himself as he looks at the other screen. On the other video is Kisa inside the HOLY Interrogation Room, mimicking Ryuhou's alter power.

"Yes. These alters are just what I need to create the perfect army." said the main, grinning. His teeth glowed in the light of the screens. "The ability to copy any alter power and the natural sixth sense of animals. I've never seen such alter powers before…" He turned around. A subordinate was standing near the door. "Make sure the HOLY EYE is targeted on these girls. I don't want to lose sight of them, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Mujou. We will keep track of them." The man nodded, turning around and leaving.

Kyoji Mujou, the man who wanted to control all of The Lost Ground, stared at his prized possessions. "Soon you will belong to me, my precious alter users."


End file.
